By: Vincent DelToro

One-time city hall fundraiser Jeremy Reichberg’s believes he got a raw deal.

Reichberg was convicted of involvement in an NYPD corruption scandal, and received a four-year sentence. Now his attorney claims his case was hurt because he was not permitted to call New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio as a witness during the trial.

“In newly filed court papers, Jeremy Reichberg’s lawyer John Meringolo argues that allowing jurors to hear testimony from turncoat pal Jona Rechnitz about de Blasio allegedly taking bribes — without hearing from the Mayor himself — confused the jury, leading to his client’s conviction on conspiracy and other charges,” reported the New York Post.

“Reichberg’s lawyer claims that “speculative assertions” from his former partner, real estate developer Jona Rechnitz of JSR Capital, “confused and inflamed” the jury, and that allowing de Blasio to be called as a witness would have provided balance to Rechnitz’s testimony,” according to therealdeal.com.

“Because the defense was unable to call de Blasio to testify, the defense could not erase the prejudice caused by Rechnitz’s speculative assertions,” according to court documents first reported on by the New York Post. “The notoriety of the alleged bribe recipient and the highly publicized nature of Rechnitz’s claims alone warranted enforcing the defense’s subpoena to de Blasio,” therealdeal.com added.

Rechnitz testified during the trial that “he and Reichberg had bought special treatment from City Hall by donating over $100,000 to de Blasio’s favorite causes. The mayor publicly denied the claims, but Manhattan Federal Judge Gregory Woods denied a request from Reichberg’s attorneys to question de Blasio on the stand about Rechnitz’s explosive testimony,” reported The Daily News. “Because Rechnitz’s testimony about his alleged bribery of Mayor de Blasio had no probative value as to Reichberg’s conduct in relation to officers of the NYPD, the testimony… inflamed the jury,” Reichberg’s attorney, John Meringolo, wrote in papers filed in the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.”

It was 11 months ago that a federal jury in Manhattan found Reichberg guilty on four of five counts of conspiracy, bribery and obstruction of justice. “He was acquitted of paying bribes or gratuities to his co-defendant, former NYPD Deputy Inspector James Grant,” said the Wall Street Journal. “The verdicts capped a two-month-long trial that included tawdry allegations involving the upper ranks of the NYPD, as well as accounts of the easy access Mr. Reichberg and the government’s star witness, businessman Jona Rechnitz, had to Mr. de Blasio’s administration.”